Baxters acquires Orexis Fresh Foods

  • 10 August 2020
The acquisition gives the Edinburgh-based food company a foothold in the chilled ready-to-eat category
Orexis product range
Photo as seen on Orexis’ website

Baxters Food Group, the ambient food company headquartered in Edinburgh, has acquired Orexis Fresh Foods, a London-based chilled food business. Speaking to Edinburgh News, Audrey Baxter, group chief executive of Baxters, said that W.A. Baxter & Sons, Baxters’ parent company, confirmed the deal. She explained that the acquisition is part of global growth plans for the Baxters brand.

Orexis specialises in chilled ready-to-eat products, with a focus on dips of all ethnic backgrounds. Baxters’ chief executive said the acquisition “offers us the opportunity to expand our UK offering into chilled food”.

The Orexis brand has been in business for 35 years. The company supplies supermarket chains and bulk packages as well as wholesalers and catering companies. “In addition to sales in the United Kingdom, we also export to Europe and many other continents,” reads a statement on Orexis’ website.

Baxters produces a range of branded packaged foods sold in the ambient aisle. The product range includes soups, preserves, condiment and deli topers under the Baxters brand.

The company’s portfolio also includes the tinned meat brand Fray Bentos, Jack Daniel’s Barbecue Sauce, Simply Delicious mayonnaise, and Garner’s range of sour pickles.

Established in 1868 as a grocery shop in Moray, Northern Scotland, Baxters has become a multinational business with operations in Poland, Australia and the US, as well as across the UK. The business has remained a private family company for four generations.